Claustrophobia And A Series of Small Closets
by Johnny Devlyn
Summary: Title is pretty self explanatory. Though I have to admit, it's just a fluff piece thinly veiled in plot.
1. Breathless

They were running through a house, attempting to distract the bad guy long enough for SWAT to show up and take the bastard _out_! Unfortunately, Kate's gun had just run out of bullets. And Psycho Killer still had plenty. So they were running, playing the deadly version of Hide-And-Seek until backup arrived.

Kate led the way upstairs, skipping every other stop in her haste, Castle somehow managing to keep up. If her heart weren't pounding, adrenaline flooding her system, and her mind on surviving this encounter for the next however many minutes, she'd have been impressed by how Castle was keeping up without managing to get in the way. But more important consideration number one was quickly advancing on the stairs and Kate had to think quickly.

The big house had hallways everywhere, as well as open doors to rooms full of hoarded stuff. Most people would have picked a room and found a good hiding place, but Kate thought he'd expect her to choose one of the cluttered rooms. Only an idiot would choose a tiny, dark broom closet, so that's what Kate did. Hiding in the unexpected places- unexpected because they were so obvious- was one of the things she'd learned as a girl. And she'd always been Hide-And-Seek champion back then.

When she was sure she wouldn't be seen, she opened a narrow door, grabbed Castle, threw him inside and quickly followed, closing the door as quickly and quietly as she could.

There was barely enough space for the two of them, and no matter which way they might have turned in the small space, their bodies pressed against each other. Kate didn't like having her back to the door though, so, with her hands on Castle's biceps, she maneuvered them until each had their back to a side wall of the cupboard. Kate discovered that the back wall had shelves, so technically there was more space, but none that they could really use. She continued checking out the small room, listening for sounds from outside the closet and desperately trying to ignore the way her breasts flattened against Rick's chest every time she inhaled. The run and the adrenaline had her breathing hard and fast and Castle's nearness was not helping her attempts to calm her breathing. But if she couldn't breathe slowly, she could at least breathe quietly.

Kate closed her eyes, her head facing the door and breathed as quietly as she could as she listened for sounds from outside the cupboard. There were loud stomping footsteps and furniture crashing in rooms nearby. A moment passed as the noise continued, and then moved farther away. Kate breathed a deep sigh of relief, but she knew that she and Castle were stuck in this closet until help arrived... Or 'Psycho' found them and well... She preferred not to contemplate that possibility.

When she looked up at Rick to let him in on the plan, she found his eyes closed. Dim light entered from the grille above the door and Kate could see the blank look on his face, his lips slightly parted. As her vision adjusted, Kate realized Rick's eyes weren't closed, he was just looking down so far, that it appeared as if they were closed.

Her gaze followed his and when she saw what he was watching so intently, she snapped, "Castle! Eyes up here!"

"Shh!" he hissed desperately in reply and for a moment they both listened for the sounds of approaching footsteps.

When the crashing sounds of dislodged furniture continued to move farther away from them, Kate attempted to fix her clothing. Her coat she'd unbuttoned as they'd approached the house, so she'd have better access to her gun. The first button of her cobalt blue blouse had torn off in the tussle downstairs and the second button was one of those pesky fastenings that tended to slip loose if the first one wasn't done to keep it in place. With their bodies pressed together, crammed into the tight space, her shirt had been pushed askew, revealing the top of her left breast and a little bit of pale white lace. She tried to push her hand between their bodies to shove the fabric back in place, but the blouse wasn't cooperating. Next, her hands delved between their stomachs and as she pulled on her shirt's hem, the backs of her hands pressed against him. Kate felt the muscles in Rick's surprisingly solid abdomen flex at the contact.

Kate looked up at his eyes again when she heard him inhale sharply, but he was looking down again. The exposed white lace at the center of her bra almost glowed in the dim light of the cupboard.

"Castle!" she whispered sharply.

"Sorry," he whispered back, sounding a little exasperated. But when she looked back up, his gaze was on her mouth and Kate could have sworn he swallowed hard just then.

Her breasts were still pressed against him and she was quickly becoming uncomfortable. Putting her hands up between her breasts and the solid wall of his chest, she pushed, just managing to put about an inch of space between their bodies. She idly noted what a hard body he had before he was panting noisily.

"I can't breathe," he complained.

"Well, what do you want me to do, Castle?" she snapped quietly in response.

"Shut up!" he breathed urgently. They both listened for a moment as the crashing grew louder for a second. When it grew quiet again, he whispered, "I'm sorry, I meant, 'shh.' And stop being such a baby, we're both adults."

Rick pulled her hands away from his chest and he took a deep breath. When the motion pressed her breasts flat against him, Kate glared at him, telling with a look that she knew exactly what he was doing and he was going to pay for it later. "Do that again, Mr. Castle, and I'll make you regret it," she threatened him, keeping her voice barely louder than an exhale.

Grinning cheekily, Castle said nothing but his breathing became shallow and slow. Kate's breathing had slowed considerably by now, but her heart continued to race frantically. _It's only the adrenaline_, she reassured herself, positive that her heart rate had everything to do with the killer just outside, and nothing at all to do with the big man pressed to every line of her body.

Kate shifted uncomfortably, trying to put some space between their bodies, but there was just no way to do it. As she shifted, her thighs brushed his, her toes bumped his shoes, her abdomen tightened in an effort to pull away from his, and her breasts slid across his chest as she swayed back and forth on her feet. At least she thought she could put some space between their legs, so she widened her stance until one foot touched the door and the lowest shelf pressed into her calf on the other side. Rick's big, powerful thighs were no longer pressed down the front of hers; he was now pressed _between_ them. Rick shifted his weight just then- quickly becoming... _bothered_ by the way Kate kept moving her sleek little body against his- and his thigh brushed against the inside of her leg, the heat from her body nearly scorching. And that friction on the inside of her thigh was not lost on Kate...

As Kate watched his face, his eyes closed tight and he grimaced. "Stop moving," he begged her quietly. "For the love of heaven, _please_ stop moving." He started to take deep breaths in an effort to calm himself, then groaned softly in pain when the action just pressed his chest to hers again.

Annoyed, and perversely happy that she had the opportunity to throw his own words in his face, Kate arched an eyebrow and told him, "Stop being such a baby, Ricky. We're both adults."

Rick cracked open one eye only long enough to glare at her, and then closed it again. He began reciting to himself a list of the number one bestselling books- along with their authors- for the past three months.

He had just recalled the third James Patterson novel when Kate decided it was probably unwise for Rick's thighs to remain between her legs; his groin was entirely too close to the apex of her thighs for comfort. So Kate stood straight again, closing her thighs and brushing against him in all the wrong ways... or right ways if you were Rick's libido.

Suddenly, Rick forgot who James Patterson _was_ much less how many bestselling books the man had written. His blood rushed south and Rick sighed in defeat about three seconds before Kate gasped- pushing her breasts against him yet again, thank you very much.

"Castle! Show some self restraint!" she snapped, louder than she'd meant to, but she had completely forgotten the killer outside when she felt certain parts of him moving against her body.

Rick finally opened his eyes and glared at her. Keeping his voice low, barely above a husky whisper, he informed her, "A: you already know how much self restraint I possess and this right here is more than I'm usually capable of. 2: I already warned you to stop moving, so it's your own fault that Big Rick is awake. And D: every other time I've ever had a beautiful woman pressed up against me like this, we usually end up naked, so forgive me if my body responds well to its behavioral conditioning."

For a long second Kate was silent, glaring, and finally a slow, sarcastic grin brightened her face. "It's 'A, B, C' Castle."

"Huh?" He asked, working on slow shallow breaths that would hopefully calm him without pressing her any closer.

"You said 'A, 2, D.' It's 'A, B, C,' Castle," she informed him teasingly.

Rick rolled his eyes then said, "Right now, it's a miracle I can even remember letters at all, much less put them in order."

There was a sudden, loud crash outside their cupboard followed by the tinkling sounds of shattered glass, policemen shouting, and Kate straightened up in preparation to spring from the cupboard if necessary. Something else jumped against her when she moved and Kate finally acknowledged that her racing heart had little to do with what was happening outside the cupboard and everything to do with Rick's proximity- and the smell of his familiar, heady cologne. Oh, that and the knowledge that just the press of her body could affect Castle so strongly.

"I think we can leave here now," Kate said quickly, eager to put some distance between her traitorous body and Rick's.

"No," he snapped quickly, putting his hand on Kate's arm to stop her from opening the door.

"What?" She paused, looking up at him.

Rick's eyes were pleading. "I can't go out there just yet," he said pointedly, and as if on cue, his hardness moved again against her abdomen, just inside her hipbone.

"I'll go out and you can come out when you can." Again she moved to open the door and again Rick stopped her.

"No, please! If they see you come out, they'll know I'm in here and when I don't follow soon enough, they'll wonder why I'm still hiding in a closet."

"Oh..." Kate said slowly. As eager as she was to get some distance between their bodies, she could appreciate the more uncomfortable situation Castle was in. "But how are you going to... you know... _calm_ yourself with me in here? Aren't I the problem?"

"I can think of a way you could help-"

He broke off when Kate snapped, "No."

Grinning, Rick closed his eyes. "Just hold still for a minute, please." He focused on relaxing his breathing, taking long shallow breaths. He leaned his head back against the wall and breathed. Slowly, his hands moved forward, beneath Kate's jacket and rested on her slim, curvy hips. He inhaled the scent of her perfume, her shampoo and her natural Kate-smell, and oddly, it all helped calm 'Big Rick.'

"You know," Kate began conversationally. "That's one of the many things I love about being a woman."

"What's that?" Rick asked, talking to her with his eyes closed. "How easy men are?"

"No, I mean, when a man's turned on, it's fairly noticeable. But a woman's tell isn't as obvious."

Suddenly, Rick's eyes snapped open and he stared at her, wide-eyed. "Are you turned on right _now_?"

The faintest trace of a wicked smile teased the corners of her lips and she told him, "You'll never know."

His eyes narrowed at the challenge and his own wicked smile made his mouth into a sexy curve. "There are ways of telling," he informed her, hinting that he'd be able to find out if she challenged him.

"Really?" She asked mockingly. "How?"

Rick studied her face as he withdrew a single hand from her hips and he raised it to brush some hair back behind her shoulder. His fingertips skimmed over the skin at the base of her neck, lingering for a moment over the pulse point, and he said, "Your heart is beating quite fast."

"We were just chased in here by a psycho killer. Of course my heart is beating fast," she said in denial.

"That's funny, because my heart beat slowed a while ago. But fine," he ceded graciously. "I'll give you that one." Rick lifted his hand from her shoulder and brushed his fingertips over her forehead, pushing back more of her hair. His touch travelled down, over her cheekbone to the corner of her jaw. "Your skin is warm, which means you're blushing- though I can't see it clearly in the dim light."

"I'm blushing in embarrassment- you're touching me and it's uncomfortable," she argued.

Despite the venomous words, Kate didn't make a move to lose Rick's touch from her face, so he knew she was only offering a token protest- she didn't _really_ mean it. One brazen fingertip skated across her jaw and up to brush softly over her lower lip. He traced the contours of her mouth and licked his own suddenly dry lips when he thought about how much he'd always wanted to kiss her. "Your lips are warm and fuller than usual, meaning blood has rushed to them. And indicating that you're ready to be kissed."

Slowly, Kate leaned her head back until it was resting against the wall. His fingertip was still on her bottom lip when she said, "Fine. I'm not entirely indifferent to having your body pressed so close to mine." Rick smiled, so Kate added, "But that doesn't mean I'm going to do anything about it."

Rick frowned. "Why not? We'd be amazing together."

Kate finally reached up and took his hand in hers, moving it away from her mouth. Down at their sides again, Kate didn't relinquish her hold on him and slowly, Castle entwined his fingers with hers. "I'm dating someone, Castle. And I really like him. I'm not going to throw away a possible future with him for a few minutes in a linen closet with you," she said, almost apologetically.

"Minutes? You mean _hours_," he corrected bombastically. More seriously now, he added, "But I meant more than just today, right now. Why couldn't the two of us-"

Running footsteps approached their cupboard and the door was thrown open. Rick and Kate both threw up a hand to cover their eyes against the bright beam of light aimed at them.

"Well, don't you two look cozy," Detective Kevin Ryan teased.

"Like two well dressed little sardines in a can," Detective Javier Esposito added in the same tone.

Kate rolled her eyes and followed them out of the closet. "It's about time you guys got here," she complained, totally ignoring the three men- two of them teasing, one of them staring at the side of her face as he followed her out to their car.

**A/N: So yeah, the only plot of this little story is that Castle and Beckett get stuck in a series of closets and fluff ensues. Not going to be a long series, maybe another two chapters at most.**


	2. Trapped

Somehow, they ended up locked in a closet together again. Only this time, the killer knew where they were and he was keeping them locked in there, either to hold them for a while, or let them eventually die of starvation, they didn't know. This particular closet had one of those solid doors that are meant for use on the outside of the house and it even came equipped with a deadbolt.

"Who needs a deadbolt on a closet?" Beckett asked in annoyance.

Castle slid down the wall to sit on the floor, his legs bent and his arms resting on his knees. His breathing sped up just a little bit. "Gun safety," he said eventually.

Kate paused in her examination of the door and glanced at him. "What?"

Rick had to think for a second, focus on the question and finally said, "Maybe a family lived here and they had guns. This was the gun closet. To keep the guns locked up and keep the kids safe." He was abstractly annoyed that he didn't sound as eloquent as usual, but right now he was just proud that he could speak at all. Most of his attention was on keeping the encroaching panic attack at bay.

"Who keeps a _gun_ closet?" she snapped. Though Kate knew plenty of people had guns, and some of those people were actually smart about how they kept and handled those guns, she was just frustrated at the moment that they happened to encounter the one criminal who was part of both of those categories.

"I have a gun locker. It's only slightly smaller than this one. But mine is made of metal and has a combination lock on the front." Rick laughed humorlessly and added, "The lock was unnecessary apparently; Alexis figured out the combination when she was ten."

"Do you keep _guns_ in it?" she asked archly.

"Of course."

Rick could only see the back of her head, but he had the idea she was rolling her eyes at him. "I don't even want to know why you have guns. And don't even hint to me that you have actually used them."

"Come on, Beckett," he joked, glad for the conversation that was distracting him. "When have you _ever_ known me to refrain from buying something that I want?"

"Good point," she ceded dryly. Finally, she gave up her investigation of the door and stepped back to slide down the wall and sit beside Castle. There was just enough room for them to sit side-by-side in the small space, but their shoulders were just touching. "Looks like we'll be here for a while," Kate pointed out conversationally. Ryan and Esposito knew where Kate and Castle had been headed, but they'd gone out on their own interrogations and weren't due back for several hours.

While Kate considered their options, Castle was struggling to inhale. His throat had constricted and was making that usually simple action much more difficult. The imaginary iron bands he could feel wrapping around his chest didn't help either. When Kate had implied that they were stuck, his breath had left him and he was still trying to get it back. He was only capable of short, gasping breaths that he kept as quiet as possible in an effort to hide them from Kate. Eventually, his vision began to swim and he put his head between his knees and focused on trying to inhale.

When Rick moved beside her, Kate glanced over at him and quickly became alarmed. "Castle, are you okay?"

"Fine," he chirped. Unfortunately, there was little strength behind the claim and Kate recognized the lie.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," he insisted, even as he started panting.

"Seriously, Castle, what's wrong? Are you sick?" Kate put her hand to his forehead to check for a fever, but Rick jerked away from her touch. Trying to ignore the inexplicable hurt she suddenly felt, Kate focused instead on the way her hand came away from his face feeling as cold and clammy as his forehead.

"I'm not sick," he snapped, his body heaving as he struggled to breathe. But he stilled somewhat when Kate put one small hand on his shoulder.

"Rick," she said quietly, and Castle barely heard her over the sound of his own ragged intake of breath. But his body became calm under her touch and the air seemed to come to him a little easier. "What's wrong?" she repeated quietly.

Kate felt his shoulders heave from the sigh he gave, but she thought that that was much better than the panting. She noted that the following breath did come a bit easier. But Castle didn't reply, just turned his face away from her and shook his head.

Maybe it was the dim lighting or the fact that they were locked in a closet, or maybe it was the false idea that whatever happened between them in this closet would be trapped there even after they left, just as their last encounter in a closet hadn't been mentioned again- by Rick or Kate anyway. But it made Kate feel brave where she'd never been before in regards to Castle, and it gave her the strength to... show affection.

Kate lifted her hand and gently placed it on the back of Castle's head, stroking his hair- just a little bit- as she idly noticed how soft it was. But Rick turned his head to gape at her, his eyes wide in surprise. The dim overhead light allowed Rick to see her delicate blush, and Kate lowered her gaze, but left her hand gently entangled in his hair. When she could bring herself to meet his eyes again, she gently urged, "Please tell me what's wrong."

Castle was the one to look away this time and he hung his head between his knees again, this time in shame. Kate continued to stroke his hair and tried to reassure him, "I promise I won't tell anyone else whatever you tell me."

He breathed a humorless laugh. If he had a choice of whom to tell the shameful secret he'd been hiding, it would _not_ have been Kate. But Rick nodded his head resignedly under her touch and eventually admitted, "I'm claustrophobic."

Kate sat and stared at what she could see of his face in shock. He _had _to be lying; they'd been trapped in a closet a fraction- a _small_ fraction- of this size and he'd been okay. Finally, Kate scoffed, "No you're not."

Castle finally looked at her in surprise. "Yes I am."

Confusion altered her pretty features and she reasoned, "But two months ago we were stuck in that minuscule cupboard and you were fine."

Smirking a little, he shook his head. "I'm claustrophobic, but highly distractible. And your body pressed against mine was definitely distracting. Plus, I don't think I would have survived the torment if I _had_ hyperventilated in that itty bitty space," he added, a faraway look in his eyes.

"Wow, you _are_ easily distractible," Kate teased finally removing her hand from his hair. He was no longer panicking and his breathing had evened out, so there was no more need for the comfort of her fingers in his hair. And the contact was starting to make her just a little bit uncomfortable when Castle had that day-dreaming-of-sex look on his face... Uncomfortable. Aroused. Same difference, in Kate's opinion, at least where Castle was concerned.

When the comfort of her touch was suddenly taken away, Rick shook his head to clear the thoughts of her body on his. "Sorry," he mumbled.

She didn't know what else to say, so she leaned back against the wall- and let her shoulder press against Castle more than was sticky necessary, even in the small space. She wanted to ask questions about his newly discovered phobia, but she also didn't want to prompt him to think about it again and therefore start another panic attack. And they had resolved their latest case the second that closet door had been closed on them, so that left out shop talk. So each sat quietly for a moment, half of the pair awkward and the other half trying to take deep, calming breaths as he chanted, "The walls are not closing on me. Everything is fine," silently to himself.

Regardless of all the calming techniques he'd learned and all the progress he'd made in the past to overcome his fears, it wasn't long before his breathing went shallow and ragged again.

"What can I do to help?" Kate asked, surprising him. She hoped to circumvent the hyperventilating she guessed was not too far away.

Rick shook his head and said, "I'm supposed to work on my breathing and try to remain calm."

Kate chuckled gently and joked, "Yeah, 'cause that's working out so well for you, so far."

Even Rick managed a shaky chuckle then.

"Seriously, Castle, what can I do to help?" she urged gently.

"Would you-" he began but thought better of his intended request. Her hand on his hair had felt _so_ good... But he didn't know if asking her to do it again would make her uncomfortable. Instead he asked, "Would you distract me? Please?"

Kate narrowed her eyes at her partner and told him in a droll voice, "I'm not going to do _that_, Castle."

Rick smirked, the conversation already working to distract him, and he replied, "I _meant_ talk to me. But it's interesting to know you considered _that_."

Even though she rolled her eyes, Rick noted the way her cheeks were flushing a becoming pink. "What do you want me to talk about?"

"Tell me a Beckett-in-high-school story," he asked impulsively. The riddle of who Kate had been before her mother's murder should be a distracting enough topic.

"No way Castle," she said vehemently, though she was planning to anyway. Teasing would distract him just as thoroughly as the story she impulsively decided to tell. "All of my high school stories are much too inappropriate to be repeated."

There was a spark of interest in his blue eyes, darkened in the low light, as he looked at her. "But you volunteered to distract me. And naughty-school-girl stories would definitely fit the bill."

Kate sighed dramatically- overacting a bit- and said, "Fine. But don't tell me I didn't warn you." She leaned back against the wall, her head back and her eyes closed, as she recalled the images she wished to describe. She had blatantly lied about the naughty nature of the memory.

Maybe it was because of the mental pictures and the desire to relive a fleeting moment of her youth, or maybe she simply wished to comfort Castle, but Kate reached out and took one of Rick's large hands in hers. His palm was still a little clammy and cold but it quickly heated up in her grasp as she entwined their fingers and lay their hands on the floor between their almost touching hips. The back of her hand brushed Rick's thigh and Kate thought it was the perfect backdrop for the story she was about to tell.

"When I was in high school," she began quietly. "I was known by my friends to be a tease. I loved to make naughty jokes and frequent innuendoes. My friends all learned not to say the words 'come,' 'hard,' or 'get off' around me- no matter how innocently used, unless they wanted me to giggle and make a joke about it. But even though I talked about it a lot, I never let any guy get that close to me. Until I met Carter." She paused and relived the moment, the giddiness inherent in a first crush, the joy when she discovered her feelings were returned. The excitement of a first kiss, and then the devastation when it all ended.

Castle must have sensed the story didn't have a happy ending because his thumb began sweeping comfortingly across the back of her hand. Or maybe he just noticed the silky texture of her skin and the way his thumb stroked against her thigh when it moved.

"He was new, and he was beautiful and I fell in love with him just as quickly as all the other girls in school did. But he found out I was a- I was popular, and when he chose me, I was so thrilled, I couldn't eat for three days, my stomach was in constant, excited knots. He had a car too, so we didn't even need parents to drop up off or pick us up, we just went. We parked along the beach one night and just watched the waves for a long time. I was so nervous because I knew I was finally going to let him kiss me. So I went willingly when he suggested we move to the back seat. It was my first kiss and it was... Looking back now, it was really bad. But at the time, I thought my heart would dance its way right out of my chest. He kept trying to put his hand between my legs and when I kept moving it, he started getting angry."

"Oh Kate, he didn't..." Castle trailed off in horror, unable to even complete such an evil thought, not wanting something that vile to have touched Kate.

"No," she shook her head, but didn't sound any happier. "He didn't force me, and I didn't sleep with him, but that didn't stop him from telling everyone that I did when we went back to school on Monday."

"I'm so sorry, Katie," Rick said softly. He hadn't meant to call her Katie, but as she told her story and he thought of her as a young girl, it just felt right. She smiled in thanks, but said nothing. So Castle wondered aloud, "Why did you tell me _that_ story though?"

Kate looked away, stared off at nothing and though for a second. "Carter made me learn to be cautious," she finally said. "He taught me to be wary and very selective of whom I opened myself up to. I guess I just wanted you to understand why..." Kate trailed off but they both knew. Kate was explaining to Castle why she'd always been so unwilling to just jump into bed with him, and why she was so protective of her personal life. Making oneself too vulnerable, too soon only led to getting hurt.

Castle squeezed her hand, equal parts comfort and thank you for telling her story- for opening up to him just a little bit. But twelve-year-old-Castle couldn't be reigned in forever, so he offered a cheeky grin and asked, "Wanna hear the story of how I lost my virginity?"

"No!" she snapped.

"Wanna tell me the story of how you lost yours?"

Kate's free hand suddenly swung around and slapped at his shoulder in lieu of a reply.

Rubbing at his shoulder in mock pain, Rick was still chuckling nonetheless.

"Besides, I already know how you lost your virginity," Kate said conversationally, shocking him.

"What? How! Did my mother tell you?" He began to glower over that last thought.

But Kate laughed and said, "No. But I _did_ read 'Death of a Prom Queen.' That flashback scene was _way_ too detailed to have been borne purely of your imagination, overactive though it may be."

Unperturbed by getting caught, Rick grinned. "Picked up on that, did you?"

Kate just smiled and butted her shoulder playfully against his- as much as she could in the cramped space.

But it was an ill advised move on her part because Rick was forcefully reminded- not that he'd ever forgotten entirely- that they were stuck- locked- in a tiny closet. When Kate had bumped him, his body had been squeezed between her and the wall, with no space even to move to the side. The room felt even smaller than it did a moment ago and Castle had to lean forward, away from Kate's pressing shoulder, so he could take a deep breath. Though his head was between his knees again, it was reassuring to feel his shoulders expand when he inhaled deeply, without bumping Kate or wall this time. It also helped that Kate's perfume was heavy in the air- the cherry scent of her that calmed him further.

"The guys should be here soon," she offered helpfully.

But Rick knew better. "No they won't. They were supposed to have left an hour ago, but knowing them, they probably dawdled a bit before they left. And it's a two hour road trip each way."

"Okay, so they'll be here in-" Kate checked her father's watch- "three and a half hours. I'm sorry, I'm not really helping, am I?" Kate finally removed her hand from his grasp and put it on the back of his head, once again stroking his hair soothingly.

Rick sighed heavily and Kate had no way of knowing he'd also closed his eyes in pleasure. "No, you're helping," he told her quietly. "More than you know."

"Good," she said simply.

Even though he claimed she was helping, and he did seem to be enjoying her hand in his hair, Kate could still feel the tension in his body. So eventually, she scooted around to lean against the side wall, folded her legs to sit "Indian style" and then pulled Castle sideways. When he glanced at her in question, she told him, "Lay down."

When he obeyed, she guided his head to rest in her lap and she continued stroking his hair, much like a cat- at least that's how she rationalized it. Eventually, she grew bold and trailed her fingertips over his face, starting at his forehead then sweeping down to his ear and back over his hair. She caressed his cheek sometimes too, or gently dragged her nails up his neck. It wasn't long at all before she could hear his even breathing. Castle had fallen asleep, curled up on her lap, his big body bent uncomfortably in the small space. So Kate decided to take a nap too. She leaned to one side, put her head against the back wall, and closed her eyes, the warm comfort of Castle and the rhythmic sound of his breathing quickly lulling her to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey," Detective Ryan asked hesitantly, turning to look at his partner in the driver's seat. "You ever get the feeling that you're supposed to be somewhere? Like someone needs you to go to them?"

"What, you mean like Woman's intuition?" Detective Esposito replied sarcastically and then scoffed. "Nah man, I don't even _have_ a feminine side, or so Lanie keeps complaining."

Ryan was glaring at his partner by now, annoyed that he wasn't being taken seriously. Yet again. "Never mind," he snapped.

But the feeling the he should have gone with Beckett and Castle refused to leave him, so he sent Beckett a quick text.


	3. Distractions

**A/N: So I totally forgot to give credit for this story! I got the idea so long ago, I'd forgotten it was inspired by BreezieAir's story Alright, Evans? It's a Harry Potter fic… I don't even know how I found it, I don't usually read those. But two of the characters were stuck together, and I thought how much fun it would be if Castle and Beckett were stuck together, and then I thought "Ooo, what if Castle was claustrophobic?" So yeah, the story devolved from there.**

**This chapter has lots more UST than the previous chapters, but that's fine: I already gave it an M rating, y'all were forewarned. :-D **

Castle jerked awake so violently, sitting up and gasping, that he startled Beckett awake also.

"Castle," Kate began groggily, her hand over her heart as if she could calm it back to a normal pace that way. "What's wrong?"

Castle's labored breathing filled the air and it took him a moment before he could confess, "I was dreaming. That I was trapped in a small box, without even space enough to stretch my legs. And when I woke up, I found it was real... and it startled me. Sorry for scaring you."

"I'm fine Castle," she assured him. Her own heart and breath rates had already returned to normal, but Rick still seemed to be struggling to inhale. "How are you doing?"

"Honestly?" he asked in a droll way. "Panicking a little."

"I'll trade places with you," she offered, already standing to get out of his way. "If you sit here, you can stretch your legs out along the floor. Maybe that will help."

"Thank you," he said, and moved to do as instructed, but frowned when faced with a new dilemma. "Where are you going to sit?"

"Oh." Kate looked around the small space and frowned as well. His legs and feet, no matter where he angled them, stretched out as they were, left no place for her to sit. Still a bit sleepy, and distracted by Castle's apparent inability to calm himself, Kate made an impulsive decision she was pretty sure she was going to regret. "How distractible are you?"

"Very," he replied between gasps. "Why?"

Kate stepped over his legs and sank down to her knees, one going to the floor on either side of his hips. And now Castle was breathless for a reason entirely unrelated to fear: the apex of Kate's thighs was scant inches from his groin.

"Beck-" his voice broke and he had to clear his throat before he tried again. "Kate?"

"Don't you think," Kate began, tilting her head to one side as she studied his blue eyes. And Castle started right back, entranced, not even noticing that his breath had calmed to a slow steady pace. "It's a little ridiculous that a grown man- who writes about death and mayhem on a daily basis and gets _paid_ for it- is claustrophobic?"

"Yes, but the thing about phobias," he informed her, his voice low and deep. He was too busy studying the curve of her neck to really think about their situation anymore. "Is that they don't usually make rational sense." He managed a small smile and asked, "Are you going to help me get over my fear?"

Before answering, Kate took the time to remove her jacket, reaching behind her back to pull the sleeves from her arms and thrusting her chest into Castle's personal space in the process. She dropped the coat to the floor behind her and readjusted her position perched on Castle's thighs. "Would you like me to help you get over your fear? I did take a psychology class in college," she added, joking. She had no idea how to help a person overcome an anxiety disorder, but she figured flirting with him a little bit would help distract him for however much longer they were stuck there.

"Yes," he said quietly, nodding his head eagerly. He cleared his throat again and added, "Yes please."

She smiled at his enthusiasm, but said nothing. Clinically, in a rather detached manner, she placed her hands on his hips and pulled, indicating she wanted him to move his lower half away from the wall. Kate rose up on her knees a little and obediently, Rick slid farther under her body. When she lowered herself again, the hottest part of her came down directly on his groin. Rick's immediate reaction to her was impossible to hide- and nothing to be ashamed about, Kate idly noted, impressed. She put her hands on his shoulders and guided him back to lean against the wall, following him back and pressing her upper body heavily to his. For a long moment, she simply held him there, giving them both the time to study how the other's body felt pressed against their own and get used to the novelty of the situation. It felt nice to both of them, the way her breasts felt, flattened as they were against his chest. But Kate's bent legs were beginning to ache, so she widened them, placing more of her weight on Castle than on her knees. They both gasped in sync when the hard length of him was pressed harder against her body.

Kate had to take another moment to collect her thoughts and remember the _reason_ she was grinding on Rick's body. When she thought she could speak with some strength behind the sound, she leaned in to put her hands on his shoulders and put her mouth to his ear- without actually touching him with her lips.

"Castle, are you listening to me?" she began, her voice low and her breath hot on his ear, making his shiver. He just nodded jerkily and Kate grinned. "Good. Because I want you to listen closely and do as I say." He nodded again. "Good boy," she teased and he huffed a short laugh. "Right now, you're stuck. You're trapped in a small space and there's no way to get out until help comes for us." Rick made a small sound of protest, wondering where she was going with this, intentionally trying to make him anxious. But she moved her body over the hardness in his pants, on purpose this time, and Rick almost forgot he was stuck in a little closet- Hell, he almost forgot his own name.

When she spoke, her voice was low and breathless; seductive. "Does that make you nervous?" Rick nodded. "Does that make your heart beat faster?" Again he nodded and Kate leaned away from his chest to meet his gaze. "What else makes your heart beat faster?" Castle just watched her as what she was asking him sank in. Eventually, he wrapped his hands around her thighs and let his grasp slide up to hold her hips. "What else makes your breathing come harder and faster?" He may have been imagining the innuendo in her question, but when he slid one hand to her back to press her chest against his again, she gasped a little in pleasure and let her head fall forward into his neck. The tip of her nose skimmed along the cords of his neck and he could hear her ragged breathing when her mouth reached his ear. "The next time you're stuck in an itty bitty space, I want you to think about this. About how close two people can get, cramped in a small closet. When your heart begins to race in fear, I want you to recall how your heart sped up when my body was pressed against yours. Can you do that for me, Ricky?" She asked, finally letting the tip of her tongue slide along the outer curve of his ear. When Rick nodded, Kate smiled. "The next time you're stuck in a small, dark space- trapped there with no way out- I give you permission to think about me, and how good it felt when your hand," Kate paused and removed his hand from her hip then placed it on her breast. "Touched my body for the first time. Will you do that for me, Ricky? Will you think of me and my breasts in your hands instead of thinking about how small or cramped a space is? _Can_ you do that?"

"Yes," he replied heavily, his focus on his hand and how good she felt there. The soft, perfect, round curve of her breast pressed into his palm; he gently squeezed and the little gasp she made nearly snapped his control. But he was making an effort to do as Kate asked. He focused on their location, on how they _were_ trapped; locked in a small space with no way out. But instead of panic, Rick only felt the way her body moved on his erection. How the way his quickened breathing had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with Kate. For the first time in his life, Rick found himself wishing he'd never have to leave this cramped closet, just so he could keep Kate's hot body so close to his.

Kate meanwhile was experiencing something she'd never felt before. Her breath was fast and shallow, almost like she was... hyperventilating? Her heart was racing and her stomach was twisting in anxious knots. She felt the absurd need to _get out_ of that closet- by breaking down the door if needed. Her mind unwillingly recalled an image of Josh and asked, "How would he feel if he knew what was happening right now?"

Fear stabbed at her heart and she argued with her own mind, "I'm just helping a friend!"

Just then, Castle's hand moved against her breast in a small caress and her conscience laughed at her. "Is this how you help all your friends? Would you do this for Ryan? How about Esposito?"

When she involuntarily shuddered in horror and disgust, her conscience laughed at her again.

With his mouth so close to her ear, Kate had clearly heard the soft groan Castle made when her body had trembled over his. Mistaking the reason behind the shiver, Castle pressed his hand harder to her breast, and then softly kissed her neck, just below her ear.

Though she knew this was all kinds of wrong, the gentle touch of his mouth and the grasping of his hands brought a lustful sigh to her lips.

Oddly enough, it was Rick who finally pointed out, "This is wrong."

It was like _Castle_ was now the voice of her conscience and she automatically argued, "We're not _doing_ anything."

"But I want to," he groaned.

Before she could mentally filter her words, she asked, "What do you want to do?"

Surprised, Rick pulled away from her slowly and looked up at her face. He just blinked at her for a moment before he admitted, "I have always wanted to kiss you. Just a simple, sweet kiss."

Kate shook her head but drew infinitesimally closer. Kissing was too personal... too intimate. It was definitely "doing something" and if they kissed, she wouldn't be able to tell Josh- with a mostly clear conscience- that _nothing_ had happened when she was trapped, alone in a closet with Rick Castle.

But Rick kept talking and the longing in his voice pulled her slowly- so very slowly- closer to him. "I've wanted a kiss as long as I've known you. And then, a month ago, I got one and it was incredible. Even if you _were_ distracted. But it only made me want more. That kiss wasn't enough and I want another one."

Kate's mouth was only inches away from his when she asked, "If I kiss you now, what makes you think _this_ one will be enough?"

Rick slid his hand from her chest up her neck and buried his fingers in her hair, pulling her just a little closer. When she spoke he could feel her breath on his mouth and he wanted even more now that kiss. But he admitted, "It won't ever be enough. But I need you like I need air."

Kate closed her eyes and swallowed hard. She knew exactly what he was feeling, but she was better at denying and then hiding the desire she'd always felt for him. Kate didn't want to open her eyes again; she could feel his breath, soft and warm, on her mouth and she knew he was close. If her eyes remained closed, she could deny that she'd wanted the kiss. If he kissed her with her eyes closed like this, the blame would all be on him and she could deny...

Kate quickly turned her head away. What kind of coward let someone else take the blame for a kiss they wanted just as much as the other person? It was wrong though; Kate was with Josh and she had never cheated on someone before and she wasn't going to start now. She pressed her lips desperately to Rick's neck and then told him, "I'm sorry, Castle. I can't-"

"I know." His arms wrapped around her body, holding onto her just as desperately as she clung to his shoulder. "I'm sorry," he murmured, one hand rubbing comfortingly on her back. "I'm sorry, Kate."

There were sudden, loud sounds outside the closet that sounded suspiciously like gunshots, and Kate's body jolted in surprise. Rick groaned, but they each quickly stood, preparing for anything that might greet them.

As Kate put her jacket back on, they heard a lot of noises that sounded like a gunfight and household objects getting hit by bullets. When the sound of keys eventually rattled on the other side of the door, Kate was prepared to pounce, whoever it might be.

When it was Ryan on the other side of the door, Kate still jumped forward, but threw her arms around the surprised man's shoulders and just said, "Thank you!"

Though Detective Ryan hugged her back, he looked over Kate's shoulder at Castle behind her, asking with a look, _What the hell?_

So Castle hassled him, saying, "It's about time you showed up." But he grinned and added, "Thanks."

When Kate finally pulled away, she pretended like nothing uncharacteristic had happened, and simply walked out of the room, then out of the house, hoping she could just forget everything that had happened that day and put it behind her. She was good at that; she'd put that kiss a month ago behind her. Well, sometimes she thought about it, late at night when she was all alone. But it was behind her and it wasn't going to happen again, no matter how much she may want it.

**A/N: So, I guess these little closet scenes happen sometime during season three. I'll be fitting them in somewhere, but I won't be addressing the whole cliffhanger ****season finale**** mostly because it's still really bothering me, even though I know there's no WAY they can kill her off. Right? Right. There'd be no show without her... I need to stop obsessing. Except, isn't that almost a requirement when writing FanFiction? Obsession with the object of the stories? I'm well on my way then. :-D**

**Castle had to have a phobia in order to make Kate act this way, though even still, I might be stretching it a bit. I'm sorry if this seems OOC, but it was fun either way! :-D I usually hate the cheating stories, so yes, I will be getting rid of Josh soon. I really didn't like that this scene kinda slights him, but it was almost necessary in this particular storyline. Haha, does anyone actually **_**like **_**him? So far, I haven't seen anyone say that they do. I'm sure he is a perfectly lovely character, but he's just so much in the way of the relationship we all **_**want **_**to see happen, that it's like, "Get rid of him already!" Okay, I'll stop rambling, even though I'm so good at it… :-D**


	4. Fear

**A/N: Well y'all wanted me to get rid of Josh, so here goes... This one is a bit more angsty than the other chapters, but it had to happen. Can we all say "Bye bye Motorcycle boy!"? Haha, if only it would happen on the show...**

Kate sat on the floor, her knees pulled up to her chest, as she focused on taking deep, calming breaths. Kate Beckett had never let fear control any aspect of her life, and she sure as hell wasn't going to start now. Half the contents of her closet had been pushed out into her bedroom, to make just enough space for her to sit inside, the door closet, lights out.

Ever since that last encounter with Castle in a closet about a month ago, the thought of small spaces made her nervous. So Kate was sitting in her own closet, getting rid of her newly acquired- highly irritating- phobia.

Kate was currently attempting to slow her quick, ragged breathing, but the small dark space reminded her of another small, dark space and her heart only beat faster in consequence. Maybe Castle had the right idea with this fear of small spaces; this was definitely freaking her out, the way her belongings seemed to be drawing closer and closer as she simply sat there and watched. But she'd never let fear run her life- _ever_. So she was just going to stay in that closet until the fear was stamped out. But, oh, how she _longed_ to reach out for that door and push it open just a little bit. There just didn't seem to be enough air for her to breathe anymore.

_Can you suffocate in a closet?_ Kate suddenly wondered and sighed in frustration when she found one more thing to worry about. Her hand was halfway to the door now when she jerked her hand back and wrapped it around her knees instead.

"Kate?" A man's voice suddenly began calling out. "Where are you? I got a long lunch and stopped by to say hi, maybe have lunch with you." His voice drew closer and closer to her location but she didn't move. If Josh didn't find her, he'd go away and she wouldn't have to have the awkward conversation that was sure to follow, wherein she explained why she was sitting on the floor, locked in her closet. "Where are you, Kate? I know you're home," he added, as if reassuring himself.

She was silent and she could now hear his footsteps moving about her room. And only three seconds later, the closet door opened and Josh stared down at her in shock. "What are you doing in the closet?" he asked, confused and surprised.

Kate didn't reply, but looked up at him with big, sad eyes and Josh finally noticed the nervousness and the way her breath was coming fast and uneven.

Josh sat down next to her, inside the closet and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I think I'm claustrophobic," she said quietly.

"Baby, then why are you in the closet?" Josh put an arm around her shoulders and tried to nudge her closer so he could help her up and out of the small space. "Let's get you out of here."

"No," Kate said quickly, leaning against his arm and preventing him from pulling on her anymore. "I refuse to be claustrophobic!" Even as a child, Kate had refused to let fear control her- she never even had a nightlight for heaven's sake!- so there was no way, as an adult, that she'd let small spaces get to her either.

Josh frowned, but settled on the floor beside her, his arm around her shoulders still. "When did this start? You haven't _always_ been claustrophobic, have you? I'm sure I would have noticed..." He trailed off, thinking, probably trying to recall her past behavior, analyze and coming up empty. Until he remembered one particular memory. And since Kate didn't answer any of his questions, Josh laughed bitterly and said, "Let me guess. It started a month ago."

Kate finally looked up at him, her eyes so... _sad_ and maybe even guilty that Josh shook his head, knowing he was right without her having to say so.

But Kate still didn't respond and he prompted yet again, "Tell me what happened in that closet, Kate. You've been acting strange ever since and you refuse to tell me what happened."

Kate looked away from him, staring down at her knees. "Nothing happened," she insisted weakly, for perhaps the hundredth time.

"Right, you say that, but then I find you sitting in your _closet_. Did he _hurt_ you?" Josh asked, knowing he didn't even need to specify who "he" was. It was the Great White "he" who ruined _everything_, Josh reflected.

"Of course not," Kate said simply. She didn't even argue the point; they both knew how ridiculous _that_ idea was.

Josh hesitated now. He wanted to ask, but he was terrified of her answer; did he really even _want_ to know? But as he contemplated, he found he _had_ to know. With a deep breath, he finally asked, "Did you have sex with him?"

"No!" she gasped, turning her head quickly to gape at him. "No, I would never do that to you," she insisted.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. He pulled her closer to his chest, pressing his cheek to the top of her head. "You've just been acting so... guilty. I had to consider the idea."

Kate hung her head so low, her nose almost touched her knees. "I didn't have sex with him. I didn't even kiss him. I just... held him. While he tried to stave off a panic attack."

"So _he's_ claustrophobic too?"

"Yeah."

"And you're in love with him," Josh concluded.

Well, that was quite a leap to make...

"No," she insisted, shaking her head for emphasis.

Josh laughed humorlessly. "For being one of the smartest women I know, you can be really dense sometimes," he said, trying to sound as affectionate as he could to take away some of the sting of basically calling her stupid.

They sat in silence for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts. Kate's heart was still beating frantically- this whole situation was unbearable. The small closet space and the pain she knew she was causing Josh wore on her, twisting her stomach in painful knots. She was trying to think of ways to fix the situation, but nothing seemed plausible.

Josh meanwhile was just holding her. He was breathing in the familiar scent of her hair, absorbing the warmth of her body. He knew that this would be the last time he'd have to chance- the extreme luck- to hold her, so he was delaying the inevitable and not speaking, just holding her close. He wanted to kiss her, he wanted to touch her, but somehow he didn't feel like he had the right to. She didn't belong to him anymore. _Did she ever?_ He wondered. Kate was so independent, no one could own her... except maybe one man and she fought him so hard, her own mind misdirected her fear from Castle to small spaces.

Josh wondered if she even realized that? Kate wasn't afraid of closets or small spaces. Nothing so... trivial, so mundane, could really scare her. Kate was afraid of what Richard Castle could be for her. He'd be the greatest love she'd ever know, maybe, but he'd also be the end of her independence. Castle would claim a part of her life- her soul- and own her like no other man could and that terrified her.

Josh saw all these things suddenly but knew better than to try to explain them to her. Kate would only argue and deny and really, Josh didn't want her to see it yet. He wanted Kate to at least pretend to grieve for their relationship and not just jump into bed with another man- especially the one he was losing her to.

Sighing, Josh and finally pressed a kiss to her hair. "We're over, aren't we?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

Kate shook her head but they both knew it wasn't a denial. She turned and put her arms around his neck, holding him close for a moment. But she didn't cry. She was sad, she was in pain, and she didn't want it to end, but she knew it was right. She couldn't hold on to someone who didn't belong to her and Josh had just been a distraction, a fling. He'd never been _hers_, just something to fill her time and the hole left in her life when... well, when Castle had left last summer.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

Josh squeezed her tight. "I love you, Kate." And then he pulled away. Kate kissed his mouth and he savored it for only a moment before he pulled away again, stood up and walked out of her house and out of her life.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rick lay on the floor, his feet propped up against the wall, one crossed over the other, even though he knew his shoes were probably going to leave scuff marks. He stretched his arms up, breathing deeply as he folded them under his head, just relaxing.

He was closed in the closet, sitting in the small dark space, smiling. Memories of Kate filled his mind and the fear he used to feel was completely obliterated by the sunshine Kate brought to his life. The problem now was that lately, closets seemed to turn him on a little...

"Dad?"

Rick's smile grew. "In here, pumpkin!" he called back. He idly thought about how most people would try to hide the fact that they were just hangin' out in a closet, but he knew Alexis would understand the import of the situation. "I'm in the closet!" he called again, laughter in his voice.

"Daddy!" he heard her call in alarm and then there was the sound of little, running feet. The closet door was thrown open and Alexis observed in shock, her father calmly lying on the floor of the closet... smiling? "Dad, what's going... why are you... you're not freaking out?"

For as long as Alexis could remember, her father had avoided letting himself get closed into little spaces, but here he was... grinning like a fool... shut up in his second, smaller closet.

So Alexis grinned also, entered the small space and closed the door behind her. She sat on the floor beside her father's head and stuttered, "How... what... you..."

Rick laughed. He lowered his arms and shifted so his head was now propped on his daughter's leg. "I don't know why I ever thought small spaces were scary," he began conversationally. "This isn't so bad."

"The nanny..." Alexis said hesitantly. She didn't want to remind him; he seemed to be doing so well. "When you were five..."

Rick's smile shrank and he recalled the dark memories for only a moment. But then he thought of Kate and her sunshine and he smiled again. "Detective Beckett helped me get over my fear."

"Ohh..." she drawled knowingly. "_Detective Beckett_ helped you get over your fear."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, nothing," she said quickly and then grinned. "What'd she do, grope you in a closet?"

That guess was so spot on and he was so surprised by her accurate- explicit- guess that Rick choked and then laughed. "No!" he retorted.

But Alexis was smarter than that. She knew... _something_ had happened between her father and the pretty detective the last time they'd been trapped in a closet together. But honestly, she didn't care and she preferred _not_ to know exactly what had happened, so she accepted her dad's denial and simply laughed along with him. It was so good to see him in a closet, the fear completely gone. Alexis figured she owed a lot to Kate Beckett for helping her dad get over his fear.


	5. Fearless

Kate slammed her fist into the locked door and then kicked at it. She was so frustrated she could have screamed. It was past midnight, they were no further in their case than they had been two days ago, and now they were stuck- yet again- in a closet, only this time, it was her own damn fault. She'd come down to archives to retrieve an old case file and when Castle hadn't shown up- like he'd promised- Kate had gone looking for him.

It was two months later and she still hadn't told Rick that she was single again. At first she'd needed the time to move on without Castle dropping hints or making pointed comments about the two of them, but now, it was difficult finding the right time or place to tell him without making it seem like _she_ was hinting. Instead, she made (rather lame) excuses to call him when she hadn't spoken to him in a while, or to look for him when he went missing, which is how she'd ended up in the closet.

When Kate had found him tonight, she'd let the automatic door close behind her, unaware that the stupid thing locked- automatically- from the _outside_. So they were trapped until the spotty cell phone reception patched through long enough to send a text to Lanie, Ryan _and_ Esposito. But, seeing as it was past midnight, she didn't really expect a prompt response...

Kate kicked at the door one more time and then turned away to look back at Castle. He was standing there, watching her, looking slightly amused.

She was confused by that look- where was the panic? - so she looked around the room, wondering at his behavior. The closet was a long, skinny room, several feet deep, but lined on one side by file cabinets. The left side of the room was narrow aisle, all the way to the back wall. Kate finally looked at Castle again and her heart began to beat faster. What would happen if he _were_ to have a panic attack? Would she have to... "distract" him again? Kate's breathing began to speed up too...

"I'm sure someone will come for us soon," Kate quickly assured him- once she remembered how to speak after the fantasies in her head quieted.

But Rick smiled, standing calmly in the walkway with his hands in his pants pockets and shaking his head. "We'll probably be stuck here until morning," he argued and Kate was shocked; did he sound... _happy_ about that?

Kate frowned, inexplicably annoyed that he _wasn't_ panicking; she had _so_ been looking forward to being "comforting" again. _Wait, am I really _disappointed _that Rick is doing so well in such a small space_, Kate wondered? That man did strange things to her peace of mind... "I thought you were claustrophobic," she demanded.

Rick smiled in that self satisfied way that normally made Kate want to deck him, but right now was making her heart beat even faster. He raised one eyebrow at her when he told her, "It's the oddest thing, but I haven't had _any_ fear since you groped me in a closet."

Kate's mouth fell open in shock before she gasped, "I did not _grope_ you!"

"Fine," he ceded, but then corrected, "You grinded on me. Either way, it made for some rather pleasant memories of closets."

Kate's fell open again in surprise, though not as exaggerated as before, and Castle watched the blush color her cheeks a pretty pink.

He pretended to think for a moment and then posited, "I could _pretend_ to have a panic attack though, if you wanted to grind your body on me again?"

Kate simply rolled her eyes, but Rick _had_ given her an idea... Maybe she'd finally tell him about her own claustrophobia...

Kate leaned her butt against the door, put her hands on her knees, hung her head, and began panting. Only one second passed before Castle was beside her, his hand on the center of her back as he asked, "Kate, are you okay?"

She turned her head to glare up at him and accused, between panting breaths, "You gave me your claustrophobia!"

Rick barked a laugh, but when she continued to glare at him, he grew confused. "Claustrophobia's not contagious," he asserted.

"You... planted the idea in my mind or something. I don't know," Kate said breathlessly, turning her head back to stare at the floor and ostentatiously trying to catch her breath. "All I know is that I can't breathe."

"Hey," Rick put his hand on her shoulder and pulled to stand her up and turn her toward him. "It's okay." She turned to him when he continued to pull and he put an arm around her shoulders. "You're going to be okay, just breathe."

Kate nodded, watching the concern in Rick's eyes. He _actually_ believed her! Kate wanted to laugh. Instead, she let her eyes fill with tears and quickly threw her arms around Castle's broad shoulders as if to hide the waterworks. The last time she'd been in a closet, that last day with Josh, all of her fear had walked out of her life along with the doctor. But this was too good an opportunity to pass up, so Kate clung to Rick's neck in what she hoped was a fearful way and took a shuddering breath. "I'm sorry," she mumbled pathetically.

"It's okay," Rick replied in a low, soothing voice. His hands came up to rub her back, comforting her when he said, "Everything's going to be okay. We can try texting the guys again if you want."

Kate's arms tightened around his neck and she sniffled. "They won't see it until morning," she argued. Actually, she thought the guys _might_ see the text if Castle sent another one, but she didn't want him to send it; the guys would cut her fun short if they showed up too soon. Kate held him tighter and discovered just how difficult it was to _try_ to make your body tremble when you weren't actually scared or cold. But she must have done something right, because Rick wrapped his arms around her waist and held her closer. Her body was now pressed along every line of his and Kate found her trembling quickly becoming real. "Face it Rick, we're trapped here until morning. Alone. Together." Did her voice suddenly become breathless for a reason completely unrelated to fear, they _both_ wondered?

With the way she said his name and the press of her body on his, Rick was suddenly overcome by the awareness that the partner- the friend- he was trying to comfort was a very beautiful woman with her very beautiful body pressed tight to his. He tried to push that thought aside- he _tried, so_ hard, honestly he did- but his voice was too low when he suggested, "Maybe we should try to get some sleep?"

"Where?" Kate asked incredulously. "On the cement floor?"

"I'll let you use me as a pillow," Rick teased, glad for the dilemma and the joking that were distracting him from Kate's warm body wrapped in his arms. "You did that for me once."

"Okay," Kate agreed, though she had no intention of actually sleeping.

Rick pulled away then and moved toward the back wall of the closet. He sank to the floor, folded his legs and looked up expectantly at Kate.

_He actually expects me to stretch out on the floor and put my head in his lap_, Kate mused. She did think it was sweet of him to offer and if she didn't think she was _finally_ ready to take the next step with Rick, she would have done exactly that. But she was ready for a new relationship. And she wanted _Castle_. So Kate sank down onto his lap, curling into him, wrapping her arms around his ribs and laying her head on his shoulder.

Kate could tell he was surprised. He was just sitting there, apparently stunned, until he finally recovered himself and Kate knew when it happened because his arms eagerly closed around her to settle her against him. She felt his chest rise and fall on his contented sigh before he leaned his cheek to press against her hair.

"Thank you, Castle," she murmured and then, her heart pounding frantically, she kissed his neck. She felt him freeze in shock again, so Kate added, "Thank you for being so sweet to me even though I'm not really claustrophobic."

Castle jerked back to look at her and Kate raised her head to smile at him. "Thank you for not hassling me about what happened the last time we were locked in a closet together." Kate swallowed hard, suddenly nervous, but she leaned toward him and kissed his cheek. "I had some serious decisions to make and you gave me the time and space to think about them. Thank you."

Rick studied her eyes, noting the nervousness in spite of her soft smile and he asked, "What decisions did you make?"

"I decided now was probably a good time to tell you that Josh and I broke up two months ago."

"Are you okay?" Rick asked in concern, instead of jumping for joy as Kate had expected him to.

That concern for her well being warmed her. Castle cared for her and if Kate would only let him, he'd take care of her, he'd protect her- or try to- the same way he did for the other women in his life, his family. The nervousness left her and she smiled. When she adjusted her hold on his torso, holding him more firmly, Rick tightened his hold on her too. "I'm perfect," she concluded, more content in his arms than she'd felt in years.

"A bit full of yourself, but I agree," Rick teased, returning her smile, pleased when she laughed. "What other decisions did you make?"

"I think I want to learn how to knit," Kate teased in a serious way.

Though he smiled, charmed by Kate as always, he prompted, "What _other_ decisions did you make? Regarding _me_?" He added pointedly.

Kate grew serious, making Castle frown in anticipation. "I decided that, if you still wanted to that is... I'd give you that kiss." With a bland look of expectation, her eyes open wide, Kate asked facetiously, "Did you still want to kiss me?"

Rick smiled at the little imp in his lap, shaking his head. "Fine, I'll kiss you," he said, as if agreeing to something he knew was going to be unpleasant. "But only if you answer my question first."

Kate glared at his audacity but said in a dangerously calm voice, "What question is that?"

Rick legitimately frowned then, no longer pretending or joking. "Why would you _pretend_ to be claustrophobic?"

Kate smiled happily. "To give you the opportunity to be "comforting" of course. Duh!" Then she twitched her hips, settling her backside deeper in his lap and then smiling wickedly when he began to take note of her body's movements on his. "See how well it worked for me?"

Rick shook his head at her sadly. "I think I did it better. When _I_ gave _you_ the opportunity to be comforting, I actually got _contact_."

Kate slipped out of his lap then, to kneel on one side of him, where she quickly moved to straddle the legs he stretched out under her. Kate gave him some sad, concerned eyes and said, "Should I pretend a little _harder_ to be scared?" When Kate said the word "harder," she moved her hips on his lap, intentionally rubbing against him in all the right ways.

"No," Rick said, shaking his head though he smiled softly. His hand went up to her neck and he pushed his fingers into her hair, drawing her face closer to him. "I don't like seeing you scared- no matter how seldom _that_ happens. I don't like seeing you sad."

"Do you like seeing me impatient, Rick?" she challenged, though she returned the soft smile.

"No," he replied, sounding confused.

"Then kiss me before I become impatient," she prompted him, sitting up straighter in his lap and moving so her face was inches from his.

Slowly, Rick moved closer, watching the anticipation, the lust and the love in her gaze. He could see each emotion as clearly as if they were actually shades of color swirling in her eyes. And it was the love more than anything else he saw that pulled him closer to her.

"How do you always look at me as if you can actually see my soul?" Kate wondered softly. Honestly, that was one of the things that had always scared her about Richard Castle. He knew too much about who she was, it felt half the time like he spoke directly to her soul to find out the things she didn't want him to see. But he knew her and he loved her- she was sure of it, even though he hadn't told her. He didn't need to. His actions spoke for him. And that love had finally convinced her that she could trust Rick with her soul.

"I can." Rick's other hand came up to cup her neck. He held her head in place, sweeping his thumbs back and forth across her cheekbones and holding her still as he studied her beloved face. "I see who you are. And who you are shines brighter than the sun in your dark world of finding murderers, like a beacon for grieving families and annoying novelists who claim to follow you around for "research."" He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper and he added, "I think he just really wants a taste of that sunshine."

Kate smiled and rolled her eyes. "You are such a _writer_!" she complained. "Couldn't you think of an _easier_ way to say 'I love you?'"

"I was being poetical!" He complained about her lack of romance. Nearly every other woman he'd ever met would have melted over that pretty speech, but no, not_ his_ detective. "I'm paid- a _lot_ of money, but the way- to eschew the easy way of saying something and _try_ for the difficult."

"Yes, but," she told him shortly. "We have the rest of our lives to wax poetical. I may even give it a go someday if it's not enough that I simply tell you that I love you. But right now, I'm _desperate_ for a kiss."

"Did you just say-" Rick began, stunned.

"Kiss, Castle," she insisted, cutting him off and grabbing the lapels of his coat to pull him closer. "Talk _later_."

**A/N: Oooo, cliffhanger… Will they kiss or won't they? Pfft- we all know they will. I wouldn't have called this a fluff piece if they didn't. :-D **

**I know it's odd for them to use the word 'poetical' but it's a Firefly thing; I HAD to add it!**


	6. Control

Rick drew her slowly closer and finally- after years of longing- took the slow, consuming kiss he had always wanted to share with the wickedly sexy, amazingly talented- not to mention incredibly smart- Detective Kate Beckett. The burning kiss began slowly but quickly escalated to deep and consuming. When Kate rose over him to come down hard on his mouth, her chest pressed flat to his and her hips moved over his lap in highly distracting ways.

All too soon in Kate's opinion, Rick was drawing away, pushing her back with the hands still holding her head. Kate grinded her body on his and attempted to kiss him again, but Rick held her back, no matter how difficult it was to deny her anything. "We're going to be here all night, Kate," he reminded her in a strained voice.

"I know," she replied in a sexy, smirking sort of way. The confusion that quickly followed made her frown as she asked, "What's your point?"

"Slow down!" he insisted. Castle wanted to be with Kate more than he'd ever wanted _anything_. But they had the rest of their lives to be rushed and desperate and Rick wanted their first time together to last. He wanted it to be something they'd always remember, a story they'd hint to their grandkids that couldn't actually be told but still made them picture every exquisite detail fifty years later. "If you want this to last for the next-" Rick checked Kate's father's watch- "five hours or more, you need to slow down. Because if you keep grinding on me like that, I won't last _one_."

"Pfft!" Kate scoffed. "You can't make this last _five_ hours. You'd have to be, like, superman or something."

"Baby, I _am_ superman," he assured her bombastically, then challenged, "You wanna make a bet."

"Sure, and it'll be the easiest bet I ever won." Rick could hear the sexy taunt in her voice and he knew she wasn't going to make it easy for him to win- if she could help it. He got the idea that she would enjoy driving his body to the breaking point and making him lose control.

He chuckled softly and said, "To make it a _fair_ bet, you have to let _me_ be in control." When Kate frowned, Rick grinned. Teasing her, he added, "Don't worry, my little control freak, I'll make it good. Trust me." It was a challenge and the way Rick smiled at her let Kate know it; he didn't really think she'd give up any of her control, even though Rick was promising what was sure to be hours of bliss in exchange.

But Kate didn't rise to his bait. "I trust you," she assured him honestly, her tone more serious than their teasing conversation warranted. "With my life."

Rick's heated, aroused body only burned hotter when Kate confessed her true feelings. Knowing that she trusted him so completely was more arousing than all of her grinding of her body on his. But the urge to tease never left Richard Castle for long. With that incurable smirk firmly in place, he taunted her, "Now I'm asking you to trust me with your body."

"Okay, Mr. Castle. I am yours to command," she agreed in a coquettish voice, surprising him and making him groan. "What would you like me to do for you?"

"Nothing," he asserted and his hands finally left her neck. Smoothing down over her chest to the first button of her demure cop blouse, he began undoing the fastenings as he said, "You just sit there and look pretty and let me take care of you."

As Rick pushed her blouse off her shoulders, Kate bit her lip, doing nothing more than removing her arms from the sleeves when Rick told her to. His hot gaze was on her mouth and finding herself unable to speak now, she swallowed hard and nodded her head, telling Rick she'd do as he asked from now until they were "rescued" in the morning.

Her acquiescence made him smile wickedly, already contemplating the things he was going to do to her to drive her crazy all night long. Rick leaned in and pressed a brief kiss to her mouth, then gave her the terms of their bet: "The winner of the bet gets a blow job from the loser."

Kate's eyes widened in surprise for only a second before he laughed. Then she gave him a mockingly horrified look and said, "Well in that case," trailing off before rubbing her body over his again.

Rick clutched her hips, halting her movement- thereby stopping the wicked friction- and pulling her body down on his lap. Though Castle found some relief when the friction stopped, Kate gasped when his hardness pressed into her.

"Stop trying to make this hard for me!" Rick commanded her. When Kate cocked an eyebrow, Castle rolled his eyes and corrected, "_Harder_," which made her smile. He only released her hips when she nodded again. "Good girl," he teased with a sexy smile.

Other than glaring in vague annoyance at being called a 'girl,' Kate made no other response.

Seeming to have dismissed her now, Castle worked around her as he found her coat and spread it out on the floor beside them. Next he used Kate's blouse to make when she assumed was to be a little pillow and when that was placed, he began guiding her down onto the makeshift bed. Then he began what he intended to be five hours of slow, intense sensual assault on Kate's body. It took half an hour for Castle to completely undress her and it was over an hour before he made Kate come for the first time. Almost half an hour after that, Rick entered her for the first time, and they both thought they'd never experienced anything as pleasurable, as joyful and as soul changing as that next half hour he spent thrusting in and out of her tight body. There were many times he thought he'd lose control (plus it didn't help that he really _wanted_ to lose himself in her), but he knew ways to distract himself and Kate and every time she moaned or whimpered in pleasure- it seemed- Rick was having to invent new methods of distraction.

Eventually, Kate was gasping, mumbling his name and clutching his shoulders, whimpering for the release that had been so close for so long. The noises she made when her body finally shattered beneath him were enough to make a man blush, but Castle only smiled proudly for a second before his own groans of pleasured almost drowned out Kate's vocalizations.

After that first coupling, Kate would have been content to curl up in Rick's arms and sleep the rest of the night, even ceding the bet as Rick's win. Her tired mind and sated body both felt as though five hours had passed long ago, but Rick didn't stop his assault on Kate's senses.

He did give her some time to relax, but he remained ever busy, touching, stroking, massaging and kissing gently over her entire body. This wasn't like the titillating touches from earlier, the ones that made her body burn in desire, but Rick wasn't exactly relaxing her to the point of sleep either. His hands were just arousing enough to keep her from falling into a deep sleep, but also soothing enough that she wasn't panting in excitement (yet). When Rick set her ankle on the floor again- having just kissed his way down to it- he knelt between her feet and simply stared at her bare body. He took in every detail and memorized the sight of every perfect curve.

Except for the forest green eyes that followed his every gesture, Kate didn't move. Her body had melted to the floor half an hour ago and was incapable of autonomous movement unless Rick did it for her. Kate found it very interesting that even though he wasn't currently touching her, she could feel his heated gaze, solid as a physical caress, as it perused her naked body.

There were so many things he wanted to say to Kate and many options ran through his mind: _You're_ so _beautiful_; _You're exquisite_; _I love you more than my life..._ But none of those seemed adequate. And they were all too cliché, so until he could think of the perfect way to tell her all those things, he just sat there silently, memorizing the sight of all of her smooth skin.

It might have been uncomfortable for Kate, the intense gaze perusing her naked body, taking in every detail (including every _flaw_), but Kate was used to Castle staring at her by now; it seemed like his eyes were _always_ on her, and Kate... well, she kind of liked it. It felt like home.

"I know what you're thinking," Kate told him, totally confident.

Rick's gaze met hers and a single eyebrow flew up in challenge. "Do you?"

"I do." Kate nodded her head for emphasis. "You're thinking, 'Damn, she's fine! I'm _so_ glad I _finally_ got to hit that.'" Castle chuckled and was about to disabuse her of _that_ nonsense (it didn't possess quite the right connotation for it to be true), but before he could speak, Kate continued. "_And_. You're thinking, 'Damn, I love her.'"

"Smart woman," he agreed with a smile. With a cocked eyebrow, he added, "_However_. You're only _half_ right." He prowled up her body and when his hands were framing her face, he stretched his own body out over hers, holding most of his weight off of her. "Do you think we could do it again now? It felt _so_ good to be inside you the first time."

Kate laughed; Rick was trying to imply that he was only thinking the first half of her guess, and not the second, but the warm smile he wore and the tender way his eyes studied her face let her know the truth.

"Sure," she finally agreed. "But I want to be on top this time."

Though Rick leaned down to kiss her instead of answering her verbally, he gave his assent by shifting his body sideways to the floor. And as he deepened their kiss, he rolled, pulling Kate with him and settling her lean form on top of him.

Kate drew her legs up beneath her and when she finally pulled away from his warm mouth, she sat up over him, straddling his waist.

Because Kate had agreed to let Castle be in control of their love making- and she'd actually kept her promise, no matter how difficult _that_ had been- she had yet to thoroughly touch Castle and develop any real appreciation of his body. So now, sitting on him, Kate began touching him, running flat hands over his chest and abdomen, his thick arms and broad shoulders. One hand drifted up to caress his jaw and when he smiled, Kate smiled back at him, skating her fingertips over those curved, soft lips that had been doing wickedly pleasurable things to her for the past three hours.

"Say it out loud," Kate requested softly. "Tell me what you were really thinking. _Please_." That last word, Kate's 'please,' was accompanied by a shifting of her hips, causing her hot, wet center to slide over the hard length of his arousal. Kate could have sworn she saw his eyes roll back in his head before they closed. And when he looked up at her again, his blue eyes were intense.

Rick grasped her hips, pulling her body down hard on his. Then he flexed his own hips, sliding against her once more and causing them both to groan.

Skating her hands down his torso, Kate pulled her fingernails over his chest, taking Rick's breath away when she scratched them lightly over his nipples. Her body took up a slow rhythm as she moved over him and she urged him, "Tell me."

Rick moved his hips with hers, their bodies slipping and sliding against one another's though neither made any attempts as of yet to join together. "I can't think with your body moving on me like that, Katie."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said facetiously, seeing as she really wasn't all that sorry. She did stop moving over him though and smiled in amusement when he reacted just as she thought he would.

"No, don't stop!" His hands on her hips guided her movements though he kept it slow so he could collect some of his thoughts. "I was thinking about how beautiful you are," he practically whispered, his voice low and strained. "And I was thinking about..."

He trailed off and Kate knew it was because he was nervous. She knew what he _wanted_ to say- and she wanted _so much_ to hear him say it- but she also knew he was terrified of telling her the truth. He was afraid of how she'd react because he was still unsure of what Kate felt for _him_- even though she had _already_ told him, albeit abstractly. Kate decided to try to assuage his doubts and fears, but she wasn't going to say it again until she heard the words from Castle's lips. Instead, she inveigled, "_Tell me_. I _want_ to hear you to say it."

Rick smiled then, finally catching on. She knew what he was about to say and she wasn't scared or hesitant. Kate wasn't going to run away when Rick finally told her what she meant to him. She felt the same way. That gave Rick the courage to finally tell Kate what he'd been feeling for her for _years_ now. He reached up to wrap some of her hair around his fingers and finally said- _out loud_, in honest words free of any flowery prose- "I love you."

Kate's face lit up in reply, smiling hugely. She leaned down to kiss him, moving her body faster over his now. "Say it again, Castle," she said.

"I love you," Rick's hands slid around to clutch her backside, guiding her to a slower pace so he wouldn't spill far too soon. It was a fun little game of back and forth, much like the banter that underscored most of their conversation, except this time it was Kate teasing him and Castle attempting to control the situation. There were times when he'd seen glimpses of this flirty, sexy side to the too serious detective, and it was so much sexier now that she wasn't teasing. "I love you so much, Katie."

Kate reached between their bodies now and took hold of him, positioning him where she wanted him. They both paused then, and Kate stopped to study his face. The tip of him began pressing into her and they both sighed in pleasure. "Again, Rick," she whispered.

Rick reached up and gathered her hair together, holding it back from her face. He craned his neck up to give her a soft sweet kiss that _might_ have been chaste if his erection weren't slowly pressing into her heat. "I love you, Kate. More than I can put into words." He figured that ought to give Kate some indication toward the depth of his feelings for her; Richard Castle, "Mr. Mystery-Writer-Man" himself, couldn't even find the words to express how much he loved Kate Beckett.

"I love you, too," Kate finally reciprocated. And then she watched as Rick's face lit up in joy. Quickly now, Kate sat back on him, and in that instant had his arousal sheathed all the way within her core. She watched as his happy smile turned into a gasp of pleasure; his warm eyes rolled back before he closed them. Rising up and planting her hands on his chest to obtain the leverage she needed, Kate began to ride him, rocking her hips with each rise and fall to drive him crazy and make him moan. But on her next descent, Rick thrust up, slamming into her harder and making Kate give a little high pitched squeak. Rick might have worried that he'd hurt her, but her speak was soon followed by a moan, and when Kate rose up to fall on him again, she matched his own thrust in both strength and intensity.

Kate fell forward onto his chest, kissing him as they continued to move together. Her hands slipped to the concrete floor and Castle's hands moved to skate up and down her back in gentle caresses that were in direct contrast to his almost violent thrusts.

Rick always gave her what she needed, Kate mused. Before him, she had always been so serious, but Rick had come into her life with an ever present joke, though Kate had never let him know she'd needed that, pretending instead to be annoyed by his perceived inability to take anything seriously. But then, when she needed him to be serious, Rick gave her the strength and inspiration to go on, much like his books had before she'd met the author himself. And without even knowing it, Kate had been given just what she'd needed again tonight.

After waiting so long to consummate her relationship with Rick, Kate's instinct had been to jump him, fast and hard in a passionate explosion of all the lust she'd felt- yet denied- over the years. But Rick had slowed her down and given her what she needed their first time together; a physical expression of the love he felt for her. Over an hour of teasing and touching and tender kisses that left Kate panting for more and told her that Rick was in this for more than just his own pleasure. He took the time to get to know her body intimately, because he fully intended on using this information for many years to come. Therefore their first time didn't need to be quick or explosive, because it was by no means going to be their last time. It was an experience she'd never forget, as long as she lived, even if the relationship with Castle didn't last as long.

This second time together however, Castle gave her the explosion she had been expecting all along.

Kate moved over him quickly now as she met his mouth in almost bruising kisses. Far from slowing her down or gentling their movements, this time, Castle craned his neck up to return each teasing nip at his lips, each dominating thrust of tongue. Every time Kate lowered herself onto him, Rick pressed up to meet her, hitting a new, deeper place inside of her. When Kate's legs began to grow tired, and her movements over him slowed, Castle helped her along with his hands on her curvy little rear end. But craning his head up to kiss her, using only his arms to lift her body over his before letting her fall again, were too much effort and not only was he soon tiring as well, he found it was distracting him- just a little- from enjoying Kate's body moving around his.

Rick didn't even break their kiss or their intimate connection as he quickly rolled them over again and continued pounding into her. They didn't last nearly as long this time around, but they definitely made up in intensity what they lacked in consuming time. It wasn't long at all before Kate broke her mouth from his to announce that she was close. Hearing her breathy tones informing him that her climax was imminent, Rick groaned and slid his hand between their bodies, adding his touch to send her spiraling even faster over the edge of passion and into bliss along with him.

**A/N: It's rather difficult writing these scenes, I've found. The teasing and banter are so much fun- and much easier- to write, but these... I don't know. I had to force myself to finish this one because I knew where I wanted to take the next chapter, and it's about damn time I get there already, I think. And because I made you lovely readers wait so long for this chapter, I'm going to upload the next- and final- chapter in just five seconds.  
>Count with me now... Five!... Four... Three... Two...<br>Enjoy the end of Claustrophobia! It was so much fun writing the UST, and I'll definitely miss it.**


	7. Happily

**Final Chapter… :-(**

Rick stood in the dark closet, waiting and smiling to himself. Any moment now, she would come along and then he'd pounce, he just had to have patience. She'd come this way eventually, right? She just had to! And there was no _way_ his absence would go unnoticed, not _today_, so he leaned back to wait.

Her voice jolted him, sending now familiar lightning bolts of desire coursing though him, and he shoved away from the wall to listen, preparing for his moment to pounce.

"Have you seen my husband?" Kate asked an unknown, unseen somebody, a smile in her voice.

"Oh, yeah," the familiar voice of his daughter replied. "I thought I saw him heading toward the bathrooms a few minutes ago," Alexis replied helpfully.

"Thank you!" Kate gushed in reply.

The conversation was obviously over now and Castle could hear the swish of skirts as Kate _finally_ headed his way. When a flash of white passed his cupboard door (on the way down the hall toward where she thought he was in the bathroom, no doubt), Rick reached quickly out, grabbed Kate's arm and hauled her backward into the dark closet with him.

Unprepared for the attack, Kate screamed- actually _screamed_- a little sound of surprise. But Castle hauled her body against him and when Kate realized who it was, she put her hand to her heart and gasped, "You scared me, Castle!"

Rick smiled in a self-satisfied way and teased her. "I thought _nothing_ scared my pretty detective?"

"A girl- detective or otherwise- never expects to be attacked on her wedding day. So it's a bit startling when it _does_ happen." Kate gave him an annoyed look and added, "What are you doing in here anyway, Castle?"

"I wanted to surprise you, _Castle_," he teased pointedly, using her new last name. "Remember what usually happens when you and I are alone in a closet together?" Rick began kissing her neck, guiding her backward to press her into the wall and hold her in place.

"I _told_ you, I'm hyphenating my name," Kate reminded him, trying to sound annoyed, even though she was breathless and tilting her head to give her new husband better access so he could continue kissing her neck.

"And I told _you_, I'll still be calling you Mrs. Castle for the rest of our lives. _Together_." His voice was low and husky, and his warm breath washed over her skin as he spoke, making her tremble and giving her goose bumps. Rick was delighting in the fact that as of today, the beautiful woman in his arms was his wife and he would now have the opportunity to call her _his_ every day for the rest of their lives. _Together_. He planted several open-mouthed kisses over her skin, moving from the gentle slope of her shoulder, up the curve of her graceful neck and to the corner of her jaw. Her pale white gown with the wide, low neckline left much of her bust exposed. Her hair was pulled up to emphasize her graceful lines and Castle delighted in touching every one with a kiss.

As Rick drew closer to her mouth, Kate's eyes closed and she whispered, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm kissing my wife." His mouth ghosted over her lips in the promise of a kiss, and Kate could tell he was smiling. "In a closet. Where it all started."

Kate smiled now, too. Even two years later, they both remembered that first time together with fondness and laughter. Though it had been incredible, and they never forgot that first time on the concrete floor with the musty filing cabinets, each time they came together seemed like it was better than the last and Kate looked forward to spending the rest of her life finding out how much better it could be. But just because she knew he was great, didn't mean Kate teased him any less; "If you think I'm going to let you fumble me in a closet, on my _wedding day_-" Kate began, her tone a denial, until she broke off when Castle's hand came up and squeezed her breast through her gown.

"Fumble?" he retorted. "Baby, I mean to _score_."

"But it's time to take pictures," Kate protested half-heartedly, even as she moved her shoulders in a way that gave Rick the room he needed to slip one hand beneath the low neckline of her dress. His palm closed over her breast and Kate moaned. "They can't take pictures of a wedding without the bride and groom," Kate added breathlessly, in another pathetic attempt to still her husband's hands on her body.

"You're right. They can't take pictures without us," Castle agreed, his mouth at her ear. Even though his words agreed with her, his hands only worked to detain her further. His free hand slid down her thigh, studying the contour of warm skin under slippery satin before taking a handful of material and tugging it up. "They'll just have to wait," he concluded, taking her earlobe into his mouth, rolling the tip of her breast between his fingers and pushing his other hand between her legs all at the same time.

Though Kate wrapped her arms around his shoulders to hold him close, her hips rocked against his hand as he touched her, and it appeared as though she were lost in the moment, she still managed to warn him, "Don't wrinkle my dress."

Rick chuckled against her neck, amused that she was still able to form coherent thoughts. He- apparently- wasn't performing his husbandly duties correctly; he'd have to remedy that. "I wouldn't dream of it," he assured her before closing his mouth over hers- finally- in a plundering kiss that took her breath away and stole all thoughts of dresses, weddings and pictures. All she cared about was the man touching her in all the ways she loved, and quickly bringing her closer and closer to bliss.

Rick drank in her moans and sighs of pleasure, muffling her noises with his kiss. No matter how many times he'd touched her over the past two years they'd been together, no matter how often they did this, Rick thought he'd never get enough of these enthusiastic sounds she made as she came for him. And now, as she threw her arms around his neck, Rick buried his face in her hair and just held her close, breathing in her familiar scent and absorbing her warmth.

When she seemed calm enough after her release, that time when she was most willing to give him whatever he asked of her- up to and including _finally_ marrying him- Rick asked her, "Are you _really_ going to hyphenate your name?"

Kate's responding laugh was quiet and still a bit breathless. She pulled away to smile at her husband even as she sighed reluctantly. "No, I guess not," she told him begrudgingly.

Rick's smile lit up the dim room and he clutched her close in his happiness. But Kate pulled away again, and Rick knew she wasn't done talking yet.

"But do you think..." Kate hesitated. Smiling softly, she pulled one of his hands off her waist and replaced it over her lower abdomen. "Could we name our baby Beckett if he turns out to be a boy?"

Rick's eyes widened in surprise, and when he seemed to be asking a question with those intense blue orbs of his, Kate's smile widened and she nodded in response. Kate hadn't thought that his smile could grow any bigger, but she'd been wrong. Rick wound his arms around her tightly- taking care not to put too much pressure around her stomach- and he lifted her, spinning her in a small, tight circle in the little closet. When he set her down again, he crushed her close, pouring all the joy he felt into his kiss.

"What if she's a girl?" Rick eventually asked. "Do you want to name her Johanna? Because that's okay with me."

Kate laughed in joy. "We'll talk about it," she promised. "I don't _really_ want to name him Beckett that was just my way of letting you know he's there. We have plenty of time to talk about names and I think Alexis should help us pick one."

Rick leaned in to kiss her again and it was one of those kisses Kate loved, wherein Castle attempted to mould their bodies into one and never let her go. The kind that made all the songs make sense.

Suddenly the door knocked loudly and the newlyweds broke apart with a startled gasp.

"Dad!" Alexis called, pounding some more. After only a short pause, she yelled again, "Mom! Get out here! The photographer's paid by the hour!" Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the pounding stopped and the sound of heels clipping on the floor announced Alexis's departure, obviously not wanting to be witness to whatever damage her parents had done to each other.

Kate looked up at Rick in wonder, tears forming in her eyes. "She called me 'Mom,'" Kate whispered.

The two women had had a couple conversations over the years about what Alexis was to call Kate, starting when Castle announced- officially- that the adults were in a relationship. "You can't keep calling your father's girlfriend 'Detective Beckett,'" Kate had once teased. In the ensuing two year relationship, Kate and Alexis had agreed that the younger woman was allowed to call the elder whatever she wished, up to and including 'Mom'- but only _after_ Kate was married to Rick. But even though Alexis had expressed the desire to use the honorific, Kate was still surprise- and honored beyond words- when it seemed to come so easily to the girl.

Rick put his hand to her neck, tenderly brushing his thumb over her cheek, rubbing away a single tear. "She loves you," Rick pointed out.

"I know." Kate cleared her throat, swallowing back more happy tears. "She tells me so at least twice a day." She took a deep breath and a moment to collect herself, including wiping away any remaining tears from beneath her eyes. "You go out there and stall. I'm going to go... fix myself, in the bathroom."

"You look perfect," he assured, with one last kiss before leaving the dark closet, making sure no one was around to notice Kate's subsequent emergence.

In the picture that sat on his desk for the next fifty years, Rick had his arms wrapped close around his bride's waist, his fingertips caressing the baby-bump that wasn't even showing yet, the first of three children they had together. Kate's face glowed in that picture, pride and love shining in her eyes as she held her husband's forearm with one hand, the other resting on Alexis's shoulder. The girl was smiling up at her parents with so much excitement on her face; only thirty seconds before that picture had been taken, they had informed Alexis that she was going to be a big sister.

**A/N: Oh, gosh, I think I need a dentist after that; I'm sure the sickening sweetness of this last chapter left me with cavities! Haha! I know it was mushy, but it was the **_**happily ever after**_**! It's supposed to be. I just hope it was acceptable!**

**Something similar actually happened to me! When I was 17, my mother and her husband announced that they were pregnant, and they actually asked me to help them think of names. You have no idea how excited I was when they actually chose one of the names I'd picked out! It was so cool. It wasn't until my brother was about three that I finally asked my step-dad if I could start calling him 'Dad'. I even legally changed my name a few years later! So I think the thing about Alexis and Kate could be true... (especially since they already like each other in the show and I didn't even warm up to my step for a few years…)**

**That's the end of this story! I'm sorry to see it end, but this was always just supposed to be a short piece, a bit of fun to explore some of the different ways to get these characters to stop dancing around each other and just get it on already!**

**Anyway... THE END!**


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